We don't know all the answers here, but perhaps women just don't need as much carbohydrate to adequately replenish glycogen stores. You may want to start out with the higher intakes recommended in the traditional formulas, but if you feel bloated or lethargic or gain weight, experiment with fewer carbs and more protein and fat until you find an appropriate balance.

What's Overweight, Really?
Q. I'm considered overweight by the BMI (body mass index) standards, but I'm only 14% bodyfat. What are they talking about?
A. BMI is basically a finite calculation of bodyweight measured in kilograms divided by height measured in meters and then squared. Researchers and statisticians love this neat number to identify the population in terms of overweight and obesity as these data relate to health risks. The problem is that no adjustment is made for body composition (your percentage of bodyfat to lean mass).

Most of us working with athletes know that as soon as someone accumulates significant muscle mass, it's all too easy to reach higher BMI levels and thus be considered overweight, even obese. This is ridiculous, but the BMI standards offer no insight to the question of fitness.

Many researchers and clinicians are coming to agree with findings by Jean Pierre Despres, PhD, director of the Lipid Research Center at Laval University Medical Research Center, Ste. Foy, Quebec, Canada. His position is that waist circumference may be a far more definitive marker of health risk than weight and height comparisons like the BMI, and possibly even more meaningful than bodyfat composition measures.

Too Much Protein?
Q. Is there a risk of eating too much protein? I keep hearing warnings about osteoporosis and kidney damage.
A. I'm amused that the scientific community continues to wave a flag of fear regarding protein intake when no data support such threats. Evidence indicates that humans have eaten far more protein over the ages without deleterious effects.

Mary Gannon, PhD, director of the Metabolic Research Laboratory, associate professor of food science and nutrition and associate professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, shared anthropological data regarding protein intake of various populations consuming 300-400 grams of protein a day without harm.

In addition, the only study linking kidney damage with protein intake involved subjects already suffering from renal failure. Finally, osteoporosis has merely been linked with a high-protein diet in an epidemiological study. This isn't a cause-and-effect finding and deserves to be looked at more closely before scaring the masses off protein.

Weight-Loss Woes
Q. I lose weight readily when I diet, but as soon as I start to eat more of the same diet foods, I gain weight. I can't seem to find "maintenance." Can you help?
A. Many reasons could explain this phenomenon. You may need to experiment to find out what exactly your body is reacting to. Possibly you eat so few calories in dieting that your body loses glycogen stores and water (3-4 pounds) or lean body mass (700 calories per pound) or both. When you eat more, your body will naturally replenish those glycogen stores and water--in as little as 24-36 hours. If you work out, your body will eventually regain muscle mass if there's enough energy support.

On another track, maybe you're eating few carbohydrates on that restricted intake, and when you eat more carbs than you can handle--even a little more--you may experience some bloating and immediate weight gain.

Lastly, if you spend a lot of time analyzing what and how much you should eat, you've probably learned to not pay attention to your body's signals of "enough." Practiced dieters often find themselves in a no-win situation, either dieting or overeating. Learn your body's natural cues for hunger and satiety so you'll avoid overdoing it when you go off your diet. 1  |  2  |  3    

| Print Page | Email to Friend